7-Eleven Stores in L.A. Use Classical Music to Chase Away Homeless People

The roar of traffic along Camarillo Street in North Hollywood doesn’t drown out the soaring strings of Pachelbel’s Canon in C.

The classical music continues all day and all night — it’s not coming from some stranger with a violin sitting on the street, but a set of speakers bolted below a glowing 7-Eleven sign.

“They use it as a deterrent for loitering,” said cashier Lydia Erdman, who works the night shift. The homeless people “still show up, but our customers like it better now. We had it pretty bad. It was an issue for a while.”